Do you know what the words “draft” or TEU mean? Read our glossary below and learn more about some common terms and expressions used in the port and cargo handling sector.
The Maralto Glossary
A
ACCESS CHANNEL: a natural or artificial waterway connecting the ocean to port facilities.
B
BERTH: a ship’s allotted place at a wharf or dock.
BULK CARGO: commodity cargo transported unpackaged in massive quantities, such as iron ore, wheat, fertilizers (bulk dry cargo), and oils (bulk liquid cargo).
C
CAPESIZE: ships too large to transit the Suez Canal or Panama Canal. Their carrying capacity is 220,000 DWT, and they typically carry about 150,000 DWT.
CLEAN CARGO: the cargo type to be handled at Maralto, which is odorless, non-residual, and dust-free.
COASTING WHARF: the proper place to receive the mooring of a vessel.
CONTAINER: a steel box for moving and handling products and raw materials between locations. It is reusable and typically made in four sizes (30, 25, 20, and 10 tons).
CSCL GLOBE: a large containership with a 19,000-TEU carrying capacity.
D
DECK: the horizontal structure that forms the “roof” of the hull. It may also refer to the highest level of a vessel, extending continuously from the stem to the stern (the main deck).
DOCK: an enclosed area of water where ships are loaded, unloaded, or repaired.
DRAFT: the number of feet a ship is beneath the water’s surface, corresponding to the distance between the water surface and the lowest part of the hull. It can also refer to the immersion capacity of the ship’s hull.
DREDGING: the removal of sediments and debris from the bottom of access channels and mooring areas to increase depth.
E
ETA (ESTIMATED TIME OF ARRIVAL): the time and date when a ship is expected to arrive at a certain place for docking.
F
FCL: Full Container Load.
FEEDER SHIP: a type of cargo vessel that receives or delivers cargo from larger transport vessels for intermediate routes.
FEU: forty-foot equivalent unit. Used to describe the size of a container.
FOOT: a unit of length equal to 12 inches or 30.48 centimeters.
G
GENERAL CARGO: items that must be loaded and transported individually, packaged, identified, and unit-counted. They can be transported in bags, boxes, crates, drums, or barrels, or unit loads (an assemblage into which a number of individual items are combined).
H
HANDYMAX (or SUPRAMAX): naval architecture terms for the larger bulk carriers in the Handysize class. These ships are typically 150 to 200 meters long, have four installed cranes, and can carry 50,000 DWT.
HANDYSIZE: cargo ships that carry up to 40,000 DWT. They can access almost any port and are usually equipped with a crane. The most common ones weigh 32,000 tons and have a draft of 10 meters.
HUB PORT: hub ports consist of cargo-concentrating ports and shipping lines.
K
KEEL: the principal timber of a ship, extending from bow to stern.
L
LAYDAY (or LAYTIME): the ship’s length of stay at the port, which comprises the estimated time for the operation to be completed (berthing, loading, and setting sail).
LONG HAUL: A journey over a long distance.
LONG-HAUL NAVIGATION: navigation between Brazilian and foreign ports, whether by sea, river, or lakes.
M
MEGA CONTAINERSHIPS: 400-meter-long ships with a 15,000-TEU carrying capacity.
MEGAMAX: large container ships deployed between Asia and Europe since 2020, which can carry up to 24,000 TEU.
MOL TRIUMPH: a large containership with a 20,150-TEU carrying capacity.
MOORING: the act of securing a boat or ship to a pier, dock, or private terminal for loading and unloading goods.
O
OFFING: high sea, part of the deep sea seen from the shore. When a vessel is in this position, it is said to be “in the offing.”
P
PANAMAX: bulk carriers or tankers with dimensions (275 meters in length) that allow transit through the Panama Canal, with a transport capacity of 3,400 TEU.
PIER: a structure perpendicular to the shoreline to which a vessel is secured to load and unload cargo.
PORT: the left side of a ship when facing forward.
PORT OPERATIONS: passenger or cargo handling and storing goods destined for or coming from waterway transport.
PORTAINER: A crane found at container terminals for loading and unloading intermodal containers from or onto a vessel. This crane is equipped with a special, adapted boom and a spreader that can lock the four corners of a container.
POST PANAMAX: ships exceeding the dimensions and capacities of vessels, with up to 305 meters in length and capacity to transport up to 5,000 TEU. The POST
PANAMAX PLUS: vessels can carry up to 8,000 TEU.
PRIMARY ZONE: mandatory border point through which all goods and vehicles must enter a country, exclusive for the entry and exit of goods and vehicles. Equipped with permanent and ostensive customs control.
R
REEFER: containers equipped with a refrigeration unit used to transport and preserve perishable items at controlled temperatures.
REFRIGERATED CARGO: perishable commodities which require temperature-controlled transportation, such as fruit, meat, fish, vegetables, dairy products, and other foods.
RETRO AREA: areas around ports where essential activities are carried out.
S
SEAWAYMAX: a subcategory of the Handysize ships, which have the maximum size to pass through the St. Lawrence Seaway in Canada. These vessels are 225.6 meters long, 23.8 meters wide, and have a draft of 7.92 m.
SHIP-TO-SHORE (STS): cranes used to load and unload containers from and onto ships.
SHUTTLE CARRIERS: carriers used to transport cargo between the quay/berth and the yard.
STARBOARD: the right side of a ship when facing forward.
STEM: the most forward part of a boat or ship’s bow.
STERN: the end or rear section of a ship.
T
TERMINAL: a facility where passengers and cargo are assembled or dispersed during transportation.
TEU (Twenty Foot Equivalent Unit): the size of a standard 20ft shipping container.
TIDES: the rise and fall of sea levels caused by the combined effects of the gravitational forces exerted by the moon and the sun.
TRANSSHIPMENT: the transfer of goods from one ship or conveyance to another.
TRIPLE-E: a line of ships circling between Asia and Europe, carrying up to 18,000 TEU.
V
VESSEL: any hollow structure made to float upon the water for purposes of navigation in the ocean, a river, or a lake.
W
WHARF: a structure parallel to the shoreline to which a vessel is secured for the purpose of loading and unloading cargo.
* SOURCE: Infra SA (Government Agency)
